MARSHAL, MISTY AND BREX

Just for Starters Summer 2009

2009-07-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

Life has been crazy busy this summer, thus, once again I have fallen off the blogging band wagon. So here is a quick catch-up blog of what has been going on this summer. B-rex is 6 months old. He is definitely a chubby checkers. He almost weighs 20lbs. He LOVES his food as evidenced by his chubby cheeks. You also might notice the rolls on his arms, wrist, neck, and legs. He sits by himself, rolls all over the place, and is so close to crawling. His personality keeps us all laughing.
This is face after he realizes there is no more food :(

Loves going out to do chores with dad.
6 months is the funnest age. So far he loves everything. I cannot feed him fast enough. He literally grabs cries the second you take the spoon out of his mouth until the next bite gets there. Besides baby food he loves the taste of cheetos, horseradish, carrots, Texas roadhouse rolls, watermelon, and rootbeer popcycles.

He is trying to crawl but can only face plant at this point. But who wouldn't being top heavy in the cheek area.

Summer nights and rodeo season is our favorite time of the year. We recently went to a 3 day rodeo in Southern Utah where Brex got to sit aboard his very first saddle. He really did like it he was just crying because it wasn't on a horse.

I have been racing on Tig and Smoke. They are my other babies. They are easy going at home but in competition they are like a fresh lit roman candle - hang on tight!

We love taking the horses for a ride in the mountains. The last time we went was a little scary though. Out of no where this crazy coyote or fox (not sure which) started chasing right behind us barking. (I think he was calling for reinforcement). I tried to tell him this was not "dances with wolves" and Marshal was not "Kevin Costner" but he insisted on following us. We saw a lot of dear, a buck or two, only one snake, and a rabbit.
Nice view of Malad behind Lance -

One tall drink of water -

3 Amigos, Dad, Lance, and Big M.

One Lucky Girl ! ! !

2009-06-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

June 2nd was our 9th Anniversary. Since I know Marshal doesn't ever look at our blog I know I can write about a few of the things I love about him and MY version of how it all started. When we get old and gray I want our kids to be able to read about how great there dad was.

9 years ago I was sitting at an Institute Fireside that Marshals' mom happened to be speaking at. She did an amazing job and I thought "wow" I would love to meet her. Un-be-knownst to me at the time Marshal was there with his girlfriend.

A few weeks passed and Adrianne and Bryson who were busy planning a wedding said they wanted to set Marsh and I up on a date. At the time Bryson and Marshal played basketball together for Ricks College and were roomates. Well I said "No way" for 2 reasons. One I did not want to date a basketball player and 2 I didn't want to date someone with red-hair.

Well Adrianne did some persuading and said maybe this way I would get to meet his mom so I agreed to 1 date.

It started out as a typical first date with dinner at Wingers and a movie than we headed over to Ad's apartment to hang out. Well that is when he decided to go in for the kill and HE Kissed ME. He tries to claim it was the other way around but how can someone who is 5'4" reach way up there to kiss someone who is 6'4".

The next day he called and asked me out again. I said No. He was persistent and called me on Sunday to see if he could come over before heading back to Ricks, I said No again because I had another date coming over. Well Marshal showed up at my apartment uninvited and told my other date to go home and well I ended up with a basketball player who is smart both on and off the court and whose red hair I just love. We haven't spent a day apart since.

Here are my 9 Favorite Qualities about Big M:

1. I know Marshal really really loves Brex and I. He goes out of his way to take care of us. I never have to fill my car up with gas. He always helps clean the house and do laundry. I have never in 9 years ever had to pay a bill. He gets my car door everytime. He never lets me lift anything heavy. He never gives me a generic gift but instead works hard to find something he knows I really want. He loves spending every last minute with Brex, feeding him, doing chores with strapped to his belly, and even loves watching ESPN with him in the middle of the night.

2. He loves the gospel. He is very tenderhearted and compassionate. A few years ago his sister died and since then he said he has learned life is short and he doesn't want to waste great opportunities or have regrets. He gives really great talks and literally prepares them right before he gives them. On a weekly basis he does lots of service helping neighbors, friends, the young men, elders quorum, and anyone else who knows his cell number.

3. He makes HARDWORK look EASY. He can work circles around anyone. A few years ago he decided he was going to start his own business. I told him he was up in the night. Once again I was wrong and now I love that he has his own business because he is home with us so much more.

4. He is SMART with Money. He went to school to be an account because he loves numbers. He is organized, meticulous, and a penny pincher. He is a firm believer in saving money and getting our food storage together. We decided when we got married that we would only Live on what he makes and never depend on my income. He loves driving his little white "Economy" car to work everyday. Most people wouldn't be caught dead in this car and he says people always laugh when they pass him because he barely fits in it; but he just replies "well I just laugh back at them when I'm taking my money to the bank".

5. He is handsome and has a huge infectious smile. Everyone says Brex looks just like his daddy and I am grateful for that. I hope all our kids look like, act like, and grow up to be just like him.

6. He is Mr Layed Back. No matter what comes his way he takes everything in stride. He is easy-going and rarely gets worked up about things.

7. He is always game for FUN. He loves going out and being adventurous. Horse back riding, camping, traveling, running, group dates. He just never complains. Last year he had Surgery and the Very Next day he insisted on going to Utah to watch me Barrel Racing. He sat in the stands in lots of pain with an Ice-Bag on his stomach in Freezing cold weather with a smile on his face.

8. He treats people really good. Whether you are rich, poor, crazy or whatever ... he treats everyone he is around really good. He is always able to find the best and bring out the best in people.

9. He is humble. I have never heard him talk about himself or the things he is good at. In fact I don't think he is even aware of how great a person he is.

I really lucked out when I was blessed enough to marry such a great guy. If I had the chance to do it again, I would without a doubt choose you again:)

Baby Blessing

2009-05-10T11:08:00.001-07:00

After 3 1/2 months we finally decided to get the not so little baby Brex blessed. We heard every joke there is about him being big enough to walk himself up to the front to be blessed, but despite all the jokes we are glad we waited because we were able to avoid having him get sick.

Marshal gave an incredible blessing for the little guy.Even though he is so new to this earth, he has such a strong spirit about him. In the circle was a little help from Grandpa Wakley, Grandpa Myler, Uncles: Lance, Kurt D., Rick V., David Grant, Chris Anderson, Bryson Vaughan, & Brother Rod Wangsguard.

When sacrament was done we headed over to the elementary school for a great little dinner and some fun pictures.

Brex partying after the long day...

Janis and her Kids, Thanks so much for coming guys...

The boys eating up, we ordered a couple of 6" long hoggie sandwiches that were easy, quick, and really good.

Aunts and Uncles...

Ad with baby #3 on the way, she looks so dang good pregnant it really is not fair. Ad, we will just call this paybacks for the walking in on me naked at the Elms --- nope I still haven't forgotten that ---

Mom, Little Sister & Brother, and Marshals Fam...

Marshal and His Business Partner. Scott and Ashley you and your family are a great part of our life. Thanks for coming and being a part of all of it, we love ya.

At Long Last. . .

2009-04-30T16:19:00.000-07:00

I am excited behind belief. I am officially 100% done with school - FOREVER -. I finished contract negotiation and will begin working as a Nurse Practitioner in June. I must admit 3 years ago I was terrified to go back and get my Masters Degree. Right before I started I ran across this quote that I taped on my mirror as a reminder to me. It goes: “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” I think we all experience times in which we wonder if we are good enough or capable of achieving our goals; but with hard work and preparation anything is possible!

This is my first official week of being Mommy and staying home to hang out with Brex. He is amazing. At just 3 1/2 months he sleeps 12 hours a night!!! Unbelievable you say, well I like to call it a sign of GOOD parenting (ha,ha.)!! He is always grinning. Last Sunday he went to all three meetings for the first time and loved it. He smiled at all the girls and talked through all the meetings. I would stick the binky in his mouth and he would proceed to talk around it. People were paying more attention to this cute little guy than the lesson. He is so much fun I don't know how we ever lived without him.

Here are a few of the happenings over the last few weeks:

Dads 53rd Birthday! At that age the part in his hair is getting pretty wide:) I can never get Brex to snuggle like that with me. We tell my dad he must be putting him in the sleeper hold because the second he is in grandpas arms it is – lights out -

My dad has taught us so much about hard work, unselfishness, and at the end of the day having a good laugh. He lives by the motto: "USE IT UP, WEAR IT OUT, MAKE DUE, OR DUE WITHOUT" So as you can see he found another use for the wrapping paper.

It has been great getting to spend more time with my little 'sis'. Her nickname is the "Rock" because she is very dependable and always helping other people. We are glad she makes time for us, she is a busy busy girl, working 3 jobs, just finished cosmetology school, and has a year left at ISU to get her bachelors degree in education.

Easter Dinner with Marshals family

One of my greatest pleasures since marrying Marshal is dinner at his moms! My idea of dinner consists of cheetos and gum (not joking) (you can check our cabinets), while Andrea makes meals that are mouth-wateringly delicious. I consider myself very lucky to have great in-laws.

Marshals Mom

Marshals sister Mikki, and her boys Carter and Mason.

Why is when a guy goes snowmobiling, he takes his brain out, puts it in the jockey box, and heads on his way???

Snowmobiling in April, crazy I know, but Marshal has been driving over to Wyoming with a bunch of guys to sled in 12 feet of snow. When you are snow-machining for 12 hours and going places only crazy people would go you know you are bound to get into trouble. One guys machine burnt to a crisp, and well Marshal went where no man should go and ended up having to leave his sled behind. My first thought was GOOD riddance!!! However; the next day he left at 3:30 AM to go back and get it. It took 3 other sleds to pull him out 80 miles, and took an entire 12+ hours to get the job done.

I am glad he got to have some fun doing something he enjoys but maybe next time he could scale it down a little.

Random pictures we have taken over the past few weeks:
Brex and Mommy
I have no idea where this kid got his scowl.

He is getting so big... here he is one day old with dad and three months later he has a MUFFIN TOP:)

First Day Out & Barrel Racing

2009-04-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

Everywhere we go everyone says "Where is Brex??" Well he has been home away from the germs what do you think!! Working as a nurse and seeing lots and lots of RSV has us made is extra cautious.

Well last weekend it was warm and sunny so we decided to take Brex to his first Barrel Race! It was great fun, his first time in sunlight and freshair was a bit of a culture shock at first but as you can see by the picture he loved it! The whole day he was grinning from ear to ear and as you can imagine it attracted lots of visitors over to see him.

We started out at 10am and finished at 5pm. By this time he was beyond exhausted. He was a trooper and didn't fuss once but after he finally fell asleep he slept for a whole day.

He is always grinning now and it is so much fun. I think he looks at Marshal and I and thinks you guys don't know anything:) He might be right. But we sure love him.

B-rex

2009-04-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

Everyone in our family goes by a nick name a tradition started by my dad years ago. Brex now has a nick name too. Before Marshal's cousin Rhett left for his mission he stopped by to see him and nick-named him B-Rex. He is growing so fast. Actually I should clarify he is gaining lots of weight, however he is a little on the short side. All of his cloths are getting way too tight (3-6 month size) and he is not quite 3 months yet, but they are all way to long. Marshal is concerned he might have my height and his build! We can't help but get a good laugh at his muffin top over his diaper as you can see in the picture.

Always Behind

2009-04-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

As you can tell from the previous post I am a little behind on blogging. Brex is almost 3 months old. I had totally intended on keeping up our postings about life with Brex, but for anyone who knows me I'm always late. If I have to be somewhere at 8 and my clock say 7:59 in my head I seem to think I have lots of time left thus I always end up being late. Well life with Brex has made it ten times worse. It is quite a challenge to get us both ready for the day. However this is my LAST 2 weeks of school forever. I am planning on taking the month of May to just enjoy life, my family and friends and then in June I will start working 2 days a week in Pocatello. I am anxiously looking forward to finishing school to get caught up on all the things in life that are really important. So from here on out I am going to make it a point to keep up on blogging so Brex can look back and see what a great kid was and how he always kept us laughing.

Time Flies when....

2009-03-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that Brex is now 2 months old. I think he is really enjoying life on earth seeing as how he has everyone wrapped around his little finger. He is just so cute making him impossible to resist. So many things have happened over the past month. We Went to his 2 month check up. He must have know that "shots" were coming because he sure had a pretty dramatic crying episode as you will see by the picture. Dr Denton was great. Him and Brex were becoming good buddies. He was very impressed to note that Brex had gained 5 pounds and was now weighting in at 12 pounds. However dad was a little disappointed to hear that 75% of kids his age are taller than him. Here is some of his 2 month old highlights.

1. The awesome young women in our ward made Brex a very cute blanket that they hand delivered with homemade cookies. Thanks girls you guys are awesome and Brex loves snuggling with his blanket. Since Brex can't have cookies with his milk yet, Marshal made sure to finish them off:)

2. Brex Loves, Loves to bath. The deeper and warmer the water the happier he is. The second we try to lift him out of the tub the crying starts. Marshal will use the shower wand and spray him head to toe and he gets so excited. Marshal insisted on bathing with him every time, well,that is until Brex went #2 all over the tub and all over daddy!

3. Brex has quickly learned to sleep with one eye open. I will snuggle him at night before bed until he is sound asleep. When he is asleep to the point that nothing will wake him up, I very gently lay him in the crib and sure enough every single time one EYE opens. If myself or Marshal take even one step away from that crib the crying begins. There have been a few times when I was quit tired that I would threaten to get in the darn crib with him.

Everyone has adjusted to the "night owl" sleeping situation. Brex loves to party at 3am everynight on the dot. Marshal and I are good about working together. I get up for 3 or 4 nights in a row, then the next few nights I wake up and with both feet push him out of bed. With a little push he is great help. However Millie has not adjusted as well. She will be such a good friend, every whimper he makes she is at his side, well it finally caught up with her and she crashed out. She looks unconcious, don't you agree.

4. The SCOWL...At last we discovered that Brex did inherit something from me. He is full of patience. In fact Grandpa Wakley says we have a whole lot of it because we never use it!!! Brex will crinkle up his forehead and eyebrows until the corners are almost touching. He does this quite often like when: you take his bottle too soon, don't old him just right, don't hold his binki for him, if I am one second late changing his diaper, if he gets the hiccups ... you name it. In this picture you can see "THE SCOWL" and also those 12 LBS he has gained. He has achieved a double chi, triple thigh, and a muffin top over his diaper, we love it.

We really really love him and are very grateful to have this adorable little guy in our life.

Thank you - thank you - thank you

2009-02-22T18:49:00.000-08:00

"WHY WORRY WHEN YOU CAN PRAY" I heard this great little quote at church today from a very special couple in our ward. As they were speaking I started thinking about how relevant it is in our lives and how prayer makes all the difference in the world. I realized that all the worries and prayers I have had over the past few months have been answered by so many wonderful people; so I just wanted to say thanks.

** Thanks to Grandma Janis for watching Brex everyday while we are at work. I couldn't leave him every morning if I didn't know someone very great was watching him.

** Thanks to Grandpa Kelly for the endless hours of snuggling, Brex is getting pretty spoiled.

** Thanks to Grandma Sandy for coming and babysitting and especially for all the great blankets and close that he puts to good use.

** Thanks to Grandpa Andrea for making the road trip to come have sleepovers and making Brex the greatest little crib blanket ever. Oh and did we mention the meals;)

** Thanks to Sissy N for being the best Aunt. You are the rock! Even though you pinch Brex and make him cry I still think you are the greatest. Pretty soon i will be needing a haircut!!

** Thanks to Big M. I knew you would be an incredible dad - well with the exception of those middle of the night feedings - Thanks for making Brex and I so happy.

** Thanks to Aunt Mikki for being so excited for Brex's arrival you always make us feel very loved.

** Thanks to Ad for the good advice, great talks, honesty, and most importantly the good laughs that we always have.

** Thanks to Bo and Shanell for moving here and giving me a place to do clinical so that I get to see my cute little baby during lunch.

** Thanks to everyone who brought food, gifts, and visited. He is one lucky little boy to have so many people who welcomed him here.

** Thanks to all the women in our ward - we absolutely have the most awesome ward around.

** Thanks to Scott and Ashley for being such an important part of lives in so many ways.

** Thanks to all my friends new and old at IMM clinic. I love working with you, I love talking to you, and we are grateful for the great shower gifts you all brought for Brex.

** Thanks to Kallie for the millions of cell phone minutes we have used talking about how great it is to be a mommy and the countless other subjects that come up.

** Thanks to Chalyce for supporting me in the fact that pregnancy is not a walk in the park:)

** Thanks to Sheralynn for the great secret tip about you know what - I won't post the details here.

** Thanks to Kell for being a good example of having a positive attitude and for working hard for the things that are important.

It is so great to have the gospel in our lives knowing that sometimes we can be an answer to someone elses prayers and the rest of the time Heavenly Father sends you to be the answer to our prayers.

Time for a Diaper Change :)

2009-02-07T16:43:00.000-08:00

I thought this little "O" face Brex kept making was the cutest face in the world and he does quite frequently. Well the other day Marshal was changing is diaper and he did the "O" face and a 1/2 a second later he pooped! We got him all cleaned up and a few seconds later he did the "O" again and.... sure enough he pooped again. So now instead of peaking inside his diaper to see if it needs changing, we just watch for the "O"

Meet BREX

2009-02-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

Brex Kelly Martinsen came to earth January 14, 2009. He was 2 weeks early but stilled weighed in at 7 lb 10 oz,and was 20in long. Surprisingly he was born with a head full of RED hair and is the cutest little guy ever!

On Wednesday we went in for a doctors appt and they tried really hard to tell me it wasn't time for him to come - but they humored me and sent me to the hospital to be checked and sure enough 5 minutes later I was in labor and dilated to a 6 in about an hour and a half - so we thought things would happen pretty fast but --- then he become very stuck in the birth canal and his cord was too short to let him drop any further so they rushed us in for an emergency C-section and (literally) 10 minutes later he was here!!!

Honestly I have never been so scared and I just remember praying over and over to Heavenly Father to please take care of us, and he did. I have never felt so lucky and blessed to have such an amazing little guy in our life. We both love being parents so much - and cannot wait for the opportunity to do it again.

Not only does he look just like Marshal but he also takes after him in so many other ways. He Never, Ever, Ever cries, he is always happy and smiling. He is a little muscle man too. He did a full push-up on day 2 (we filmed it for those who don't believe)and he has been rolling over since day 10.

Adrianne just took his 2 week old pictures for us - I must say they will make your heart melt -

Baby Belly

2009-01-03T16:55:00.000-08:00

A baby fills a place in your heart - You Never knew was empty.
Adrianne gave me this great quote that really sums it all up.

Every single person I know as told me it is absolutely necessary to take a picture of your belly for the baby to see what it looked like in moms belly.For everyone who keeps telling me to a post a picture, this is for you. I must admit, until now I have refused but honestly once you get so big - it just doesn't matter anymore :)

I am 32 weeks in one picture and 36 weeks in the next. At that time I thought I couldn't go another day but now that I am 37 weeks, I realize I should not complain because the next day will be even worse since you literally start gaining weight every day. The doctor says the baby has some LONG legs and my ribs which are now bowing are very aware of the legs!!

We are still having the great debate of BOY?? or GIRL???. For everyone who is going to have a baby I highly recommend not finding out the gender, it is the most exciting, conversation stirring subject, and quite honestly the neutral clothes are pretty cute too.

Pregnancy Positives: food, lots of resting in the recliner and watching movies, seeing a little foot print outline on your stomach, having Marshal ask every 5 minutes "what do you need", how do you feel, can I massage your feet?? Picking out baby clothes and names, feeling justified about being overweight.

Negatives: now this list could be pretty long. You cannot sleep at night, you legs swell to the point that they are not recognizable, trying not to waddle but realizing it is impossible, having to buy new/Bigger clothes every month. Setting a goal of only wanting to gain 25 pounds and surpassing it 6 weeks early and the list goes on.

Needless to say we are beyond nervous and excited and know that it will be so worth it.

Merry Christmas and Goodbye 2008

2009-01-03T16:05:00.000-08:00

This year went by so fast! Marshal has been crazy busy with work but finally a few days before Christmas he finished working on 2 12,000 sq ft homes and I turned my last final that took a mere 12 hours to finish. We were both so glad to finally take a few days off and enjoy some R & R with the family.

We played the Wii Fit, which was hilarous. Marshal was rated unbalanced, with a fit age of 45, and was told by the machine that his muscles were not going to build themselves. As you can see my dad also took the game pretty serious with his warm-ups and hat turned around backwards.

More family Fun

Baby Shower, Family, Friends, Food, and Fun

2009-01-03T14:29:00.000-08:00

Adrianne and Ashley went way out of their way and planned a really nice baby shower for us the Saturday after thanksgiving. I have to admit that being the center of attention is less than comfortable but when you consider the million different things that a " little 7lb bundle of joy" can need, you become very grateful for all the help, gifts, food, and advice from family and friends.

We got a lot of great gifts, and some really good food. FYI - anyone out there who likes crackers and dip might want to hit Adrianne up about her Spinach dip. It was fabulous.

Thanks everyone for coming and for all the great advice to help us get ready for this little baby.

Thankful for BLUE SOCKS!

2009-01-03T14:07:00.000-08:00

Marshal has always been willing to help with the cleaning and cooking around the house. I think serving a mission prepares husbands to take a more active role in things around the home rather than thinking it is only the "wifes" job. And although I am really glad he cleans the bathroom and vacuums (he does a way better job than I do) I have pleaded with him to STAY AWAY from the laundry. Well the other night I was doing some homework - when I heard the washing machine.

Even being quite pregnant, I LEAPED out of the chair and ran to the washing machine to discover the prettiest shade of blue I have ever seen. In the washer was shirts, pants, socks, lights, darks, you name it. But most important it contained the only pants I had left that fit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Needless to say I was really mad and cried. The next day when I looked over at him sitting on the couch with PAPA SMURF socks on we laughed for a week.

Finally I told him to do whatever he wants to his clothes but to never, ever, touch mine! Marshal I do have to say I am very thankful for everything you do for us, I wonder at least once a day how I got to be so lucky!

5 minute catch-up

2008-09-24T15:46:00.000-07:00

Well - I have not had a spare second to post any of our happenings the past month because my last year of school started and I have been consumed with eating, sleeping, reading and homework. I am so thankful that I have the best family in the world who pick up ALL of my slack and never ever complain.

My 6'2" little brother received his mission call to Monterey Mexico. He will leave in November. He has been working for Marshal and drives to Pocatello with us every day. It is has been really comical because he bought some CD's that teach you to speak spanish. So while I try to read, he and Marshal repeat the spanish words along with the CD and I laugh so hard in my head I don't absorb much of my reading.

Oh Baby Baby - -

2008-08-10T22:29:00.000-07:00

Yes - as many of you are now speculating Marshal and I will be extending our family by 1. We tried for some time and over the last 8 years it has never happened. Well we decided in June that it absolutely would not be a good idea to get pregnant my last year of school and we would try closer towards graduation. In June I made an appointment for a laproscopic surgery consult to help with the endometriosis and they kindly informed my that no I would not be having the surgery but rather I would be having a BABY!

After such a long wait I thought I would be ecstatic but instead I have been sicker than a dog and have spent the last 4 months telling heavenly father that his timing was all wrong. I knew I was too big of a sissy to finish school and have a baby so my emotions were pretty pesamistic. I couldn't get the guts up to tell anyone I was pregnant except Adrianne of coarse who guessed!! Marshal on the other hand said at least once a day - "I've got to tell someone" We finally agreed on his Birthday we would just tell everyone at once. In our family we do this "POEM" thing were we write funny poems for special occassions - it sounds corny but it gets pretty good laughs - so here is our little ANNOUNCEMENT POEM

Sending A Little Letter Your Way –
To See How You Are Doing Today –

I Must Admit It Has Been Quite Awhile –
But Next Time I See You I Will Be Wearing A Smile –

I Have Been Holding A Hug That Is Only For You –
And Hope When We Meet You’ll Give Me One Too –

I Bet You Are Wondering What This Is About –
So Here Are Some Clues to Help You Out –

I Have Little Fingers And A Little Nose –
And Mom Hopes I Don’t Get My Dad’s Big Toes –

I Don’t Know If I’ll Have Lots Of Hair On My Head –
But I Bet There’s A Good Chance That It Will Be Red –

Mom Of Course Wants Me To Be A Barrel Racing Girl –
Dad Wants A Boy to Throw A Rope and Give B-Ball A Whirl

Little Do They Know I Am Just What I Should Be –
And Can’t Wait To Get There And Meet The Family –

BOY or GIRL – guess you’ll have to wait and see
Since mom and dad thinking not knowing will be fun for everybody

I Still Have Lots of Growing To Do, To Prepare for Life on Earth
The Doctors Say January 20th Is My Expected Day of Birth –

I can’t think of a Family I’d rather come to
Surrounded by people as great as you.

See you all Soon Little Baby M

Finally -- after a few ultrasounds - I have changed my tune to "School Schmool" I suppose I would rather fail school and have fun having a baby and being a mom than anything else so we are now just going to take it day by day. Not only that but shopping for baby clothes... is so fun.

I am 4 months along and they moved the date again - so sometime mid-January we will be having a he or a she - we decided to wait and be surprised on the gender.

I am open to any and all advice. I know nurses should know a lot about taking care of babies but I did avoid pediatrics like the plague because it is so sad when kids are sick.

Suprise

2008-07-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

July 22 Marshal turned 30! Everyone pretended like they had forgot his birthday and then we threw a suprise party for him the day after his birthday. I have never seen anyone quite so sad, he sulked all day.

We had some friends and family come for dinner and cake at Sizzler - He was completly suprised grinning from ear to ear.

Adrianne looks so suprised in her picture that you would have thought we were suprising her!!!

Love you guys - thanks for coming.

Quote of the Week

2008-07-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

PRESS FORWARD

“Faith in something greater than ourselves enables us to do what we have said we'll do, to press forward when we are tired or hurt or afraid, to keep going when the challenge seems overwhelming and the course is entirely uncertain.”

(Gordon B. Hinkley)

Antibiotics may not always be a good thing!!!

2008-07-21T17:25:00.001-07:00

So many times parents come in and insist on getting an antibiotic for their child and many times the providers find giving it to them is easier than explaining why it could actually be more harmful in the long run.

Horses or all animals for that matter basically are treated the same way and with the exact same medications as a human, and I was that loving parent to "Smoke" who thought I had to be doing something to help him get better so even though the vets initially said no antibiotic we treated them any way to speed up the process.

Smoke got "Pigeon Fever" a bacterial infection. The bacteria is often very resistant to antibiotics and no matter how much antibiotic they get it still has to "RUN ITS COARSE" So if the doc says no antibiotic just know there is a very good reason. And an ear nose and throat doc I was working with said sore throats, and especially ear infections are way over treated with antibiotics and if we keep it up he said the only treatment will be to cut the eardrum open - kind of like poor little smokes chest!!

I thought since everyone loved the pigs feet so much - you would really appreciate a gapping wound.

PIGS feet

2008-07-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

You know the story about the little piggies that went to market - well I found out what happened to them. They gave all their feet to Nurse Practitioner students to practice suturing. We spent the last 1/2 of our semester learning to sew up lacerations - which is my most favorite thing to do. They didn't oink - but they did have a little blood in them still not to mention they were so rubbery. Ham Hawk and Beans anyone??

Men's Only Barrel Race - Funniest thing you'll ever see

2008-07-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

We recently traveled to southern utah for a 3 day barrel race. For entertainment purposes they have a MENS ONLY race. Well Marshal will not have anything to do with the Barrels since it is a "Girls" event. After a great deal of prodding he finally agreed that since we were far enough away from home that no one would ever know he would do it for a good laugh - well I got it on film and if you want a good laugh you better take a peak. He was pretty big talk until they called his name and his face went green - and of coarse instead of making a fool of himself he did an awesome job and the crowd was cheering him on like crazy. The picture is how he slept for the first 6 hours after we finally got home. He is such a good sport - love you bud!

Cannery

2008-07-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

Over the past year we have been trying to be dedicated to working on our food storage. Chalyce and I went to the Pocatello Cannery and we laughed ourselves silly -however the church workers didn't think we were that funny. It was really fun to go and spend a couple of hours canning food. Whatever food you want you can yourself. They have potatoes, dried applies, beans, noodles, flour, sugar, anything dry! I have been several times but if anyone wants to go let me know and I will go with you. You should also note it is much cheaper than the grocery store!!

Tagged -

2008-05-09T08:23:00.000-07:00

How To Play This Game of Tag: Post these rules on your blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog!

3 Joys

1. My primary class. They are so dang honest and funny, they make my week. So parents be careful because your children really do tell all in primary:0

2. Being a nurse. I am grateful that I can work where my whole job focuses on helping patients and their families. I just learned to suture wounds and it is literally my most favorite thing to do at work.

3. My family. We are kind of a weird family because all of us work together and play together all the time. We always have fun activities planned and everyone goes the extra mile to be supportive of one another.

3 Fears

1. Chad leaving on his mission. We spend every night hanging out when he gets off of work and T-Market, we will be really lonely when he leaves.

2. Failing School

3. Being outside alone in the dark

3 Goals

1. Making it to the NFR

2. Getting through school.

3. Having and adopting our children.

3 current obssessions

1. Keeping in touch with fam/friends through blogging. Every night Marshal says "are you blogging"

2. Barrel Racing - we go to competitions 2-3 days a week.

3. Lifting weights - I started way back at Rick's college with Adrianne and have done it ever since.

3 Random Surprising Facts.

1. I have 1 brother, 1 sister, 3 step-sisters, and 2 step brothers. That I will claim. 6 Nieces and nephews and 2 on the way!

2. I only married marshal so our children would not have to be short. (kidding)

3. We try to have monthly group dates with our friends and spouses where we play games, cook-out, and just hang-out. It always seems so inconvenient but always end up having a blast and I think it makes married life more fun.

I am tagging the following 5 people: Adrianne, Heidi, Nicole, Cat, Jillene.

A few of my favorite things:)

2008-04-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

I so love living in the county, my family, all the animals on our funny farm, and Big M. Here are a few pictures of life on the ranch. We have lots of horses so when you decide you want to go for a ride you know who to call.

The pictures are of our newest baby horse, Marshal and Lance hangin out, Lizzie our blue healer (1 of 6 dogs), Tes my very first horse, and finally a picture of the whole gang at the roadhouse (Nicole's favorite place to work)

Favorite Quote

2008-04-17T15:55:00.000-07:00

Here is one of my favorite quotes, it is from a talk by Vaughan J Featherstone:

YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU MUST DO:
If you want a thing bad enough
To go out and fight for it,
Work day and night for it,
Give up your time and your peace and your sleep for it,
If only desire of it makes your aim strong enough
Never to tire of it,
If life seems all empty and useless without it
And all that you scheme and you dream is about it
If gladly you'll sweat for it,
Fret for it,
Plan for it,
Pray with all your strength for it,
If you simply go after the thing that you want
With all you capacity,
strength and sagacity,
Faith, hope, confidence, and stern pertinacity,
If neither cold or poverty, famished and gaunt,
Nor sickness, nor pain,
Of body or brain,
Can turn you away from the aim that you want,
If dogged and grim you besiege and beset it,
YOU'LL GET IT,

Dear Lord, in the battle that goes on through life,
All I ask is a field that is fair,
A chance to be equal to all in the strife,
A courage to strive and to dare,
If I should win, let it be by the code,
With my head and my honor held high.
If I should lose, let me stand by the road
And cheer as the winners go by.

Tig and Misty @ Golden Spike Arena

2008-04-04T21:52:00.000-07:00

Finally,

2008-04-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

I have promised for awhile now that I would post some videos of the horses and I barrel racing. I have finally made some time to get it done. Ron and Karen I am way excited for you to see how far Tig has come in such a short amount of time. The other horses are are right behind him. We started running them this week!

We have been training and conditioning in the snow, freezing temperatures, mud, sleepless nights, you name it; but 99% of the credit goes to my dad and Marshal. Without your talent, ability to work with horses, and your hours and hours of help we never could have made it this far.